I'm coming from the UK so my luggage space and weight is limited, however I'd like to bring some stuff along for gifting - what on earth should I bring? What is appreciated on the Playa? I'd like to bring something useful that will benefit your week living in a dustbowl, but I'm struggling....at the moment I'm just gonna bring loads of min-bags of Haribo jellies!!!!

Help give me some ideas, I need to be able to fit them in a suitcase too and not have them too bulky.....

"I bought a cactus. A week later it died. And I got depressed, because I thought, Damn. I am less nurturing than a desert". - Demetri Martin

hmmm carrying a few extra bandanas on your person when out could really benefit some one who has none during a dust storm.

Last year just before that hella big duststorm at the start of critical tits, a bandana skittered past me on the playa..
I picked it up, and it was a Godsend; worst(or best) white out I have been in and that bandana saved me!!

DragginLady wrote:hmmm carrying a few extra bandanas on your person when out could really benefit some one who has none during a dust storm.

Last year just before that hella big duststorm at the start of critical tits, a bandana skittered past me on the playa.. I picked it up, and it was a Godsend; worst(or best) white out I have been in and that bandana saved me!!

As they say, The Playa Provides!!

Japanese handkerchiefs? I have a grundle of them from when I lived there, the good heavy cotton ones. Very useful.

Flying to the United States may be a problem if you are bringing liquids. If you check your liquids, no problem getting them through, but I would not expect to bring them in carry on luggage. See
http://del.icio.us/philip/liquidFreefor alternatives to liquids.

For first-timers, seriously I wouldn't worry about bringing gifts. Just show up and wander around taking in as much as you can. If people give you things, say thanks and accept the gift - no return gift is required or expected. If you want to give things out, I'd suggest considering
ear plugs
glow sticks (some object to them, but if you see a darkwad, give her a glow stick)
sealed chapstick
small containers of hand lotion
moistened towlettes in little foil packs
small bottles of hand sanitizer
tampons - you'd be shocked at how many people need tampons
more tampons - really
henna for playa tattoos
Pubic hair dye http://www.bettybeauty.com/ (stop by with dyed pubes and we'll take your picture)
Get your safe sex license http://www.stfree.com/ and offer free sex

See http://www.minimus.biz/ for all sorts of small stuff, but shipping is in the US - you'll get ideas though. Often US drugstores have 'travel-sized' containers of deodorant, lotion, and such that you can buy in Reno if you have time.

Again, though, let me say don't worry about it. As others have said, being there is your best gift. On your first Burn, be there for yourself first. You'll learn more that way and do it better next year.[/s]

Okay, I just want weird stuff from Japan and Britain. I just had a choirboy go on a trip to St. Petersburg and the Baltic States and he brought me back two Moomins, the kind that walk down planes. (I think.) Anyway, there is so much good unobtanium overseas, I'm sure. After Harry Potter saturation of the states, we might, for instance, understand badges saying "Prefect." Small and easily stashed, yet completely outside our experience.

Okay, I don't really expect you guys to track me down and hand me bags of cool japenese gumball machine toys (do the Japanese do gumball machine toys? If so I bet they are super-cool) and whatever the English equivelent is. And it's hard to buy stuff that doesn't show up much in the States, if your local cultural literacy for that is stunted. Really, your own sweet selves, with your passion and enthusiam, is plenty for us.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

I'm bringing a pack of 200 glowsticks with me, plus connectors to make bracelents or necklaces Also a couple of bags of individual Haribo goodies, and a pack of 20 dust masks Can easily make some stretchy neckwear that will pull up over your mouth/nose in the event of a dust storm too, then I think that will do!!

It seems a lot of the theme camps offer drinks and snow cones and goodies to eat, but if you go into one of these camps and get offered grub/drink, do you offer something back in exchange or is that just voluntary?

"I bought a cactus. A week later it died. And I got depressed, because I thought, Damn. I am less nurturing than a desert". - Demetri Martin

It's all voluntary. That's the definition of a drink. Accept it if you want, supply your own cup if possible (see that thread at viewtopic.php?t=25088 ) and be effusive with praise and thanks for the drink/food/STDs/whatever.

[quote="TD-2441"]I'm bringing a pack of 200 glowsticks with me, plus connectors to make bracelents or necklaces :D Also a couple of bags of individual Haribo goodies, and a pack of 20 dust masks ;) Can easily make some stretchy neckwear that will pull up over your mouth/nose in the event of a dust storm too, then I think that will do!!

It seems a lot of the theme camps offer drinks and snow cones and goodies to eat, but if you go into one of these camps and get offered grub/drink, do you offer something back in exchange or is that just voluntary?[/quote]

Alot of camp bars accept bags of ice or bottles of vodka, especially when the week wears on.

The thing about common gifting items is they're common. If you need any of those things there's already a thousand people out there with extras they'd be happy to give you. Consumables are a little different in that you can finish them on the spot and don't have some little thing to carry around.

Either bring something unique, personal, and convenient for the giftee to take with them or don't bring anything at all. If you treat gifts like currency they aren't gifts anymore, are they? Why not just hand out $1 bills?

Dork wrote:The thing about common gifting items is they're common. If you need any of those things there's already a thousand people out there with extras they'd be happy to give you. Consumables are a little different in that you can finish them on the spot and don't have some little thing to carry around.

Either bring something unique, personal, and convenient for the giftee to take with them or don't bring anything at all. If you treat gifts like currency they aren't gifts anymore, are they? Why not just hand out $1 bills?

In 2003, there was a guy dressed like a banker with a briefcase of $2 bills with the Man stamped on them. He was handing them out. We chatted a bit, and he was handing the bills out all day for several days. Later we figured it out, he must have been handing out hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. I have mine somewhere.

My first year, I ended up bringing lots more shit paper than I could possibly use for some reason. The last day there wasn't a single sheet to be found anywhere. As I stood in queue for the potty, people started eying my shit paper. Like it was gold. I started to stroke it and say 'my precious'. When I returned later with an armful of rolls I was insta-hero.

Okay, no gumball machines. But those 100 yen stores sound intriguing. I have to admit that the Japanese do small and cute very well. However, Pokemon and Hello Kitty have worn out their welcome with me.

theCryptofishist wrote:Okay, no gumball machines. But those 100 yen stores sound intriguing. I have to admit that the Japanese do small and cute very well. However, Pokemon and Hello Kitty have worn out their welcome with me.